For Always
by inabox
Summary: The guardians protect the children. The guardians protect each other. Jack can handle that. But there's still a lot about his new calling that he doesn't understand. After 300 years of being unknown, untouchable and practically nonexistent, the concept of a family scares him more than hordes of nightmares. But his fear could give him something to live for. Humor comfort and family.
1. Warmth

**Okay, so I would just like to say thank you so much to everyone who read, followed, favorited and reviewed Paintball and Eggs. You guys are seriously amazing. Also, I would like to apologize for the horrible formatting- I'm still getting used to this site and for some reason it took out all my authors notes and line breaks (REALLY FRUSTRATING) so this time I'm trying LibreOffice to see if it works better. *crosses fingers***

**To my amazing reviewers:**

**Avatar Aang- Ha ha, thanks! I hope you liked chapter two! Oh, Bunny, you so DO regret this later.**

**PeachtreeAmuto- Are-are you serious? *glows* Humor and action are two thing that I consider myself to suck at when I write, so I'm so glad that I was able to create something entertaining. Your review boosted my mood for days. Thank you!**

**The One Named MoonLight- Those few words really made my day. Than you so much for reading my story and reviewing! It means so much to me, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it!**

* * *

Set directly after the events of the movie.  
They were exhausted, but they had won, they had a new member on their side and an old one back. They were together, they were safe, and they were sure as the moon in the sky going to celebrate it.

The yetis put off minor construction to make a feast and Santoff Claussen was draped in even more banners than usual. North gave a speech and the night gave way to the usual chatter and teasing, although each of them stood slightly closer to Sandy than usual, as if worried he would disappear. (Again.) As the adrenaline wore off, they one by one made their way to respective couches and armchairs in front of the fire (Jack kept a safe distance from the flames, eyeing them distrustfully).

Now, cocooned in a downy blanket and nestled into the couch, Jack looked over his sleeping comrades with a smile of fond contentment.

He felt warm. It was odd; usually he hated the heat, but this... this was different. It was the kind of warmth he had seen in the mothers of the children he had played with. The kind that he never knew he had felt before until that day in Antarctica. It was the kind of warm that makes you feel comfortable inside and out.  
It was something completely new and familiar at the same time. It was confusing, but pleasant. He didn't know if you could miss something you never had, but some part of him had longed for this feeling. The part of him that knew something was missing. And now that he almost had it, he was worried that it would slip away.  
Because for the first time ever, Jack Frost was wanted. Not Jackson Overland, _Jack Frost. _For the first time since he was reborn and raised from beneath the ice, he knew someone would notice if he ceased to exist.

He was needed.

He was seen. He was acknowledged. He was... _Loved_. And for the first time, Jack Frost was truly happy. He had forgotten what it was like, to be a part of something, and it was like being thrust into a new world. Disorienting, exciting, alien, and wonderful.

Although he may not admit it, getting shoved in a sack and tossed through a magic portal was the best thing that ever happened to him. It had given him friends, believers, a purpose, a center. It had given him an identity. Everything he had never thought he would have. And though he may not know it yet, it had given him a family.

And he thought maybe, just maybe, he had finally done something right.

* * *

**Eh, sorry if this is a little too sentimental, my vat of happy fluffy ideas was running quite dry. I COULD NOT decide which one-shot to start this story with, so have an extremely short opening. I hope you liked it, though! Please review, and if you have any ideas for me I'd be glad to hear them!**


	2. Bring Your Guardians to Work Day

**OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. Seriously. Chapter one was less than a thousand words and yet you guys... *mind blown* Thanks so much to all you fantabulicious people who reviewed, favorited and followed, you guys really mean the world.**

**To Mask (Guest): I'm not sure you'll see this, but it would be my utmost pleasure to fulfill your request. I agree, Sandy is awesome and gets overlooked a lot. It may be after a couple chapters, though, but I will get to it! Thank you so much for reading!**

* * *

Bring Your Guardians to Work Day

"No."

"Why not? Everyone else was okay with it!"

"Frostbite, I appreciate the gesture, but I got enough work ta do in my Warren without havin' ta babysit ya an' th' others. No." Bunny folded his furry arms over his chest and gave the young spirit what he hoped to be a nonthreatening yet stern look.

"I think it's a good idea, Bunny," Tooth said.

"See? Tooth agrees with me. You guys need to lighten up every once and a while, and this way we'll even be working! You remember when we collected the teeth, we had fun and helped Tooth at the same time! I call it," _pause for dramatic effect_, "Bring Your Guardians to Work Day!"

"I see no harm in Jack's idea," North said, stroking his beard. "Even has catchy name."

"Oh come o- you're not really going ta go along with this?" Bunny turned his frustrations on the Cossack.

Jack smirked. "Come on, Bunny, afraid of a little bonding time?"

Jack was just trying to get a rise out of him, make it into a competition to get Bunny to go along with it. Well it wouldn't work, oh no, you couldn't pull the wool over these eyes.

"It's not a bad idea, but we don' have tha' much time ta waste, and if somethin' happens it'll set us even further back tryin' ta fix it. So no." Bunny's tone was final and he turned his back on the boy, feeling a small bit of satisfaction at having seen through the boy's plan. It was settled. They just couldn't risk it after that year's disastrous Easter.

A faint sound sigh caught Bunny's attention and he looked back in surprise. The younger spirit was staring at the ground, small shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I just wanted to spend some time with you guys, but if you're busy, I guess that's okay." Wide blue eyes peeked up at them, partially obscured by his tousled snowy hair, innocent and sad as a wounded puppy.

That... okay, that just wasn't fair. Pulling the little kid puppy face on people whose purpose was to make children happy...

Jack shifted his gaze to the floor again. "I guess I'll go make it snow somewhere, then. I'll see you guys around." Slowly he turned to go.

Tooth gave Bunny a furious look and a small part of him resisted. The kid was obviously playing them, right? But what if he wasn't? Maybe he really did just want them to have fun together? Bunny gave a loud, frustrated sigh.

"Get over here, ya dill."

The winter spirit hesitantly obeyed.

"Just this once, ya hear?"

A brilliant grin spread across the boy's face and Bunny sighed again. This was going to be a long day.

Moments later they were all piled into the sleigh and once again subjected to the torture of North's reckless driving. Jack glanced back from his place next to the pilot to see Bunny adding more terrified claw marks to his collection in the wood of the sleigh. He laughed, then turned back to the front.

"Hey, North?"

The Cossack grunted.

"Do you remember when we were at the Tooth Palace and you let me steer the sleigh?"

North laughed. "I did what? You are dreaming, my friend."

"When we were fighting the nightmares that stole the tooth fairies, you told me to take the reins and then jumped out of the sleigh."

North stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Sometimes... get too excited in battle. Do rash things, da?"

Jack frowned. "So you weren't just showing irrational trust in me by placing your primary mode of transportation into the hands of a teenager?"

"Well, that may have been part of it, always good to trust people..."

"You weren't thinking about that at all were you."

"Not really, no."

Jack couldn't help but smile at that. "Good to know I have your trust, North." He leaned over the edge of the sleigh to look down at the streets below. "Alright, we're here!"

"Here" proved to be a rural town somewhere in eastern Europe. North parked the sleigh in an alley and they each hopped out (more like collapsing on the ground on Bunny's part) and Jack stood in front of them, one hand on his staff, the other held behind his back in a very militaristic manner.

"Alright," he said. "Our mission today is to spread snowballs and funtimes, to boldly go where no guardian has gone before!" He paced back and forth, gesturing with his staff at the ground as if pointing things out on a map. "I will be supplying the snowballs, obviously, your job is to spread joy and fun at all costs. Be resourceful, use your invisibility to your own advantage! Blatantly disobey traffic laws if necessary!" He pounded a fist into his open palm. "Now! Are we ready to bring joy to children?"

Tooth and Bunny looked somewhat horrified at this, while North and Sandy were practically cheering.

"Then lets do this!"

"I don't like this," Bunny complained for the billionth time.

Tooth, who had finally gotten sick of his griping, turned and said, "Yeah, well I said it wasn't a good idea to go play ultimate capture the flag, but nobody listens to me. And you had no problem leaving your Warren then if it meant you could humiliate Jack."

"That... that was different."

"It was a matter of manly pride, you mean. Which apparently is more important than bringing joy to children...?"

Bunny glowered.

"Relax, old friend," North said, "Warren will be fine for few hours. I feel it-"

"I don't need yer overactive stomach ta tell me what ta do, thanks." Bunny said, knowing they were right., as usual "Let's just get this ova' with." He bounded forward toward a park where children were admiring the snowflakes that had begun to fall.

Watching him go, Tooth couldn't help but smile. "He'll have fun," she said.

"We'll certainly hear about it if he doesn't."

* * *

Bunny couldn't help but feel that he had done something wrong and this was Jack's revenge. But honestly, what was he supposed to do? Jump out of the bushes and say, "Hey, kids, wanna have a snowball fight?"

There was a crashing sound and Bunny turned to see familiar round form clad in red burst into the clearing. "Hey, kids, wanna have a snowball fight?" Bunny's furry palm made contact with his forehead. He groaned. Well, at least he didn't have to decide what to do anymore. His first snowball took North's furry hat off his head.

* * *

Tooth tried. She really did. But she just couldn't bring herself to throw any sort of object at a child, especially when they could easily fall and knock out one of their precious teeth. She wrung her hands anxiously, thinking.

"This is turning out to be harder than I thought. What do you think we should do, Sandy? ...Sandy?"

She flitted around before she finally saw the little golden man laying peacefully in the snow beneath her, moving his arms and legs to create a snow angel (which wasn't working very well because his limbs were so short compared to his round body). Tooth smiled.

"Of course, you're absolutely right, Sandy." They could spread fun in the snow without encouraging violence. She liked to save _that_ for a certain tall, dark, and creepy individual.

"Now let's find ourselves some kids, shall we?"

Together they wrangled up some believers (somewhat literally, with Sandy's dreamsand whips) and were helping the kids to make the tallest snowman ever, something considerably easier when you had someone who could fly.

As a crane of dreamsand lifted the next white boulder to sit on top of the last, the children packed handfuls of sticky snow to strengthen as much of the base as they could reach. As Tooth directed a group of mini fairies, a sudden thought occurred to her. She glanced over at her golden companion.

"Sandy, do you know where Jack is? I haven't seen him since we got here."

The little man thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. Tooth frowned. It didn't seem like Jack to not be actively participating in any and all mayhem, especially when he was in charge of it. Which must mean he was busy with something else, but what?Before she could think on it more, however, a group of mini-fairies appeared carrying a red scarf between them, and the task at hand once again took first priority.

"It's perfect, girls! Sandy, how's the head coming? Fully attached?"

The little golden man gave a double thumbs up.

"Excellent." She turned to the kids. "Alright, who wants to help put on the scarf?"

Eagerly, the kids crowded around the base, squabbling like siblings about to put the star on top of the Christmas tree. Sandman smiled, and with a few waves of his hands, a cloud of glowing golden sand formed beneath the children and lifted them to the level of the snowman's head. Tooth watched as the scarf was draped haphazardly around the sculpture, which was too big for the fabric by far. She sighed wistfully.

"When was the last time we did anything like this? Actually _with _the kids?"

No one seemed to hear her, but she didn't mind. She let the question hang in the air, mingling with the laughter of the children before flitting down to help continue the construction.

* * *

Tooth had been right, Jack indeed _was _busy. Between supervising the guardians to make sure none of them hurt themselves (they were kind of new to this whole "funtimes" thing) and working on his own project, he seemed to be in constant motion. And honestly, he thought as he surveyed his handiwork, it was pretty impressive. Just few touch-ups here, a little more frost there and...

Perfect. It was time to conduct phase two.

* * *

"Just look at that," Tooth said to the little girl whose fingers were curled tightly around her own. "Have you ever seen a more gentlemanly snowman?"

The girl's hat slipped down over her eyes and she pushed it up to gaze in wonder at the towering creation. "No, Miss Tooth Fairy! I've never seen one quite so tall, either!" Tooth smiled. She loved being around children, and she couldn't believe she had allowed herself to get so caught up in her work that she hadn't spent time with them.

"Ooooooh caaaaarrrots!"

Tooth turned in surprise at the familiar voice to see a parade of children speeding down the iced over sidewalk, with a panicked Bunny and ever-jolly North sliding uncontrollably after them.

"North! Bunny- wait!" Tooth called in astonishment. Not that they had any control over where they were going, thanks to the winter teen flying alongside, staff in hand. "Jack! What-"

"C'mon, Tooth, your being left behind!" The children she and Sandy had been playing with were quickly swept along, too, whooping with glee as they sped along the ice. The little girl let go of Tooth's hand to join her friends, and Tooth flew after them.

The line of kids traveled down the street as if on a giant slip-n'-slide, carefully steered just out of danger's reach by their watchful guardian of Fun. The trail took a turn and they came to a stop in front of a forest. The kids got to their feet and jabbered excitedly to one another.

"That was SO cool! Did you see me! I almost crashed into a bike!"

"It's Jack Frost! He made the ice!"

"I see him! Wow!"

"See who?"

"Look, he's right there!"

Jack landed in the snow in front of them, his joyful smile growing as more and more kids gazed at him in admiration.

"Hey, kiddos! How do you like the snow?"

"It's great, mister!" one girl said, her face flushed with the cold. Jack crouched down in front of her.

"Alright! Tell you what, I'll keep it coming, and you promise to have some serious fun on your snow day, sound good?"

The girl smiled and nodded happily.

Jack stood as a motion sick rabbit and a large Russian man tumbled into the clearing with the last of the kids.

"North, Bunny! Nice of you to come!" Jack turned back to the kids in front of him. "Now, I've got something for you guys, follow me!"

They didn't have to go far. Just inside the trees, the group came to a stunned halt at a snow-covered clearing.

"Woah..."

Jack frost stood proudly in front of a three story ice castle with spiraling towers that sparkled in the sunlight. Ice parapets, forts, and piles of snowballs dotted the courtyard.

"Jack," Tooth said in wonder, "it's beautiful."

He flashed his sparkling teeth at her. "Thanks. It's not my best, but considering the time I had to work on it, I'd say it's pretty good." His grin turned mischievous. "Everybody against the Easter Kangaroo!"

"Aw, come on," Bunny said, but was cut off as an assault of snowballs forced him to dive behind one of the ice walls. It didn't take long before the children had taken sides and they had a full scale battle on their hands.

North loaded up an abandoned sled with snowballs and used it to catapult the projectiles at the opposite side. North gave a mighty battle cry as the missiles impacted on the enemy wall and inhabitants: "Christmas is better than Easter!"

"You brought this on ya'self!" In the heat of battle, Bunny didn't even notice that his feet had gone numb from the cold. The ancient holiday rivalry had been rekindled and Bunny would not stand by and let himself be insulted in the presence of believers. He ducked behind the wall and turned to his small army, who looked up at him eagerly.

"A'right, mates, you ready for this?" Small heads nodded enough to nearly take them off the kids' shoulders. Bunny smiled proudly and straightened. "CHARGE!"

In that moment, Bunny knew what it was like to command a small army of devoted minions. He rather liked it.

* * *

By the time it started to get dark, both guardians and kids were completely exhausted. Reluctantly, the children were returned safely to their homes, and the guardians clambered into North's sleigh for a dinner at the Pole before going their separate ways. (Bunny had resisted, but the guardians hadn't exactly listened to his other protests that day, and this one was no different.) Once they were in the air, Jack couldn't resist a smug look back at Bunnymund.

"Now was that so bad, Kangaroo?"

Bunny muttered something about frozen feet and a "bloody galah".

Tooth glanced over at North with a smile. "He had fun."

**A/N: I apologize for this chapter, it's not my best work, but I've been working on this for far too long and needed to get it finished so that I can move on to my other ideas. Despite its general cruddiness, however, I really do hope you like it, and am very sorry for its lateness. There will be better stuff ahead, I promise! I love you all!**

**-inabox**


	3. Heartbroken Happiness

Heartbroken Happiness

"Honestly, Jackson, were you raised in a barn?"

Jack wrapped his knees around the tree branch and fell backward to hang upside down in front of the woman standing below. He grinned. "Something like that."

His mother swatted him on the shoulder, but couldn't hide her smile. "Are you finished with the firewood?"

Jack swung back and forth casually. "Of course."

"All of it?"

"Oh, you mean that other pile, too? I thought that was for decoration." He swung his torso forward and pulled himself onto the branch. His mother made an exasperated noise. Jack's bare toes curled around the bark of his perch as he leaned over to look at her. "Don't worry, I did it."

The woman shook her head at him, then said, "Emma's gone to get some things from the Fergusons; she should be back any minute." Then, at the overjoyed look on her son's face, she added, "But she has to mend the tablecloth, so I don't want you two getting into trouble now."

Jack dropped to the ground, the damp spring earth soft beneath his feet. "Aw, that's no fun."

"You can't have fun all the time."

"Doesn't mean I can't try," he said with a smile. His mother swatted him again.

"Go get your sister. And don't you dare be late for supper."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

It didn't take Jack long to get to the Ferguson house, and he made it just in time to see a brunette head poke out of the door.

"Thank you Mr. Ferguson!"

"You're most welcome. Would you like William to take you home? A young lady such as yourself shouldn't be walking home all alone, now."

"Thank you, sir, but I can take her," Jack said, stepping up to the door.

"Jack!" Emma squealed in delight and threw her arms around her brother, still clutching the basket of items from her trip to the town.

"Hey, kiddo!" Jack laughed. He pried his sister from around his midsection and took her hand, nodding to the man standing just inside the doorway. "Thank you, sir."

The pair walked down the trail running through their small village of Burgess. The Overland home was on the outskirts of the town, in the forest near the pond. Wolves could be heard in the forest at night, and young as she was, Emma wasn't allowed to go anywhere by herself. Jack was more than happy to take her to the square whenever she wanted, though, and they did so frequently to play with the other children. Emma skipped slightly and swung the basket in her left hand, her brother's hand still held in her right.

"I'm so glad you're home! Is Papa back too?"

Jack smiled down at her. "Yeah, we got back about an hour ago. Dad needed my help to find one of the sheep, which is why I left last night."

To his surprise, Emma frowned. "Does this mean you're going to be gone a lot now? It's not as fun without you."

Jack chuckled. "Don't worry, sis, I'll still be around. Dad only needs my help every once and a while."

"Good," his sister said. She eyed him suspiciously. "You better not get all grown-up on me."

Jack laughed. "Me? I think you're safe there."

"Promise?"

"I hereby promise, on my honor, to never become a boring adult."

"And if you do, I get your dessert for the rest of your life."

"That seems a little harsh."

"Jack!"

"Okay, deal!" The boy laughed as their small house came into sight. They went around back and Emma set the basket by the door. Their mother's voice drifted through the window out to them.

"Emma, is that you?"

"Yes, Ma."

"Don't forget to mend the tablecloth before dinner. I don't want the tear to get any bigger."

Emma groaned. She hated sewing. It was boring and easy to mess up, and mistakes had to be painstakingly unpicked and redone. Jack frowned, glanced at the house, and then bent down to his sister's level.

"Hey," he whispered, "I want to show you something."

She looked at him sadly. "But-"

"Just come on. The tablecloth will be fine for a while."

Emma smiled. "Okay." She grabbed his hand and they inched away from the house, giddy with the adrenaline rush that comes from disobedience. Once safely inside the trees, Jack turned to her. "Close your eyes."

"Why? Is this a trick?"

"Just do it."

Emma smiled and squeezed her eyes shut, walking carefully forward as her brother led her through the trees. After a few moments, they stopped and Jack let go of her hand. Suddenly, a finger lightly jabbed her in the shoulder.

"Tag, you're it!"

"Jack, no fair!" Emma laughed as she whirled around. They were in a large clearing with just enough room to run around. Jack waved at her from behind a tree and she chased after him, giggling.

"Come back here!" she said, after he escaped once again.

"Too slow, sis, try again!"

They chased each other around the clearing, their laughter filling the woods with the singing of the birds as the spring sunlight filtered through the leaves.

"Ha! Got you!" Emma shouted as her outstretched hand finally connected with the back of her brother's homespun shirt.

"Oh?" he said, turning. Before she had time to realize what was happening, Jack pounced and pulled her to the ground. She squirmed and shrieked as her brother mercilessly tickled her.

"Jack! S-stop it!" Emma managed through her laughter. Finally, he relented, but only because his sides were sore from laughing. He sat back in the grass as his sister caught her breath, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling. Hesitantly, she moved over and sat next to her brother, then relaxed when he didn't make a move to tickle her again. He reached over and ruffled her hair.

"Getting hungry?"

"...If I am, will we have to go back?"

Jack laughed and looked at the golden-tinged sky above the trees. "It's getting late anyway, Ma will expect us for dinner soon." Emma sighed dejectedly. "Hey, hey, don't worry, we'll play again tomorrow."

She brightened. "Will you teach me to climb trees like you?"

"Mom would definitely not approve of that. But if you promise to be careful, sure."

Emma leapt to her feet. "Yes!"

Jack stood as well, and as was their tradition, Emma climbed on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She looked down at his tousled auburn hair. "Ready!" With a roar and a laugh, they set off for home, where a hot meal and a loving family were waiting for them.

* * *

Jack lay with his eyes closed, savoring the lingering warmth of the dream. Sunlight, laughter, home-cooked meals and family. Jack took a deep breath and slid his eyelids open, gazing up at the brightness of the stars above him. The night was dark and crisp with the promise of winter, lit only by the starlight and the glow of a bright white sliver of a moon. Jack sighed and slipped his arms under the back of his head. He was sprawled out high in the branches of one of his favorite trees, and the Burgess lake shimmered faintly beneath him.

Jack soaked in the stillness and allowed his mind to wander. Ever since the incident in Antarctica, it seemed as if the wall blocking his memory had turned into a gauze film, and little by little his other memories were soaking through. Sometimes they were triggered by something someone said, or by something else familiar, but sometimes, if he was lucky, he would relive his memories in his dreams.

It was beautiful, a mix of joy and pain, as if he were losing his family all over again. And in a way he was. He was reunited with those he loved each night and then torn away again in the morning. He was reliving a life he could never return to. All of his family was long dead and he hadn't even known it until hundreds of years later. But at least he remembered now. He knew that he had once belonged somewhere, that he had a purpose and a reason for existing the way he was. And that knowledge had allowed him to belong again, with a new family.

It was hard, it was painful, but all the best things are. And, as Jack gazed up at the shining strands of Dreamsand appearing in the sky, he decided that it was well worth it.


	4. Bedtime Stories

**Hello, all! Sorry for the delay... I had a brain fart. A BIG brain fart. But anyway, it's here, no need to worry. This chapter was inspired by a request I received for a one-shot with more Sandman (he really doesn't get enough love) so here it is!**

**And I LOVE YOU ALL, READERS AND REVIEWERS- you guys are amazing! *hugs all the reviewers* You wonderful people have my affections and gratitude for your amazingness. A-ny-way, I would like to say that requests and prompts are welcome, and something _interesting_ is coming next chapter!**

**Enjoy! *bows* review pleeease!**

* * *

Chapter 4

Bedtime Stories

It was a night in early winter, and the sky was veiled by a cement gray wall of clouds. Sandy was on his evening rounds, giving golden dreams to the children in eastern Russia. His glowing cloud of sand hovered above the streets of a rural town tucked deep in the stillness of nighttime. The snowfall that had been blanketing the ground moments before suddenly eased to a gentle flurry. Silver-white flakes spiraled down from the dark sky to descend on the sleeping rooftops, silent and effortless. It was odd, like someone had turned down a knob on the weather. And then, with a jolt, the snow picked up again.

Sandy gazed curiously up at the monochromatic sheet that was the sky. The snow died down again and he shifted his gaze to the streets below. Something blue caught his eye, draped over one of the branches of a tree.

Oh.

Sandy drifted down level with it to see a white-haired boy lying asleep with his face pressed against the bark. As if sensing his presence, Jack blearily opened his eyes, then quickly sat up, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh, hey, Sandy," he said, then his face fell. "I shouldn't be sleeping, I still have a whole subcontinent that needs snowing over…." He made a move to get up, but Sandy held his hands out, stopping him. He gave the boy a concerned look.

"I'm fine," Jack insisted, "just a little busy."

Sandman thought this over for a moment, then enlarged the Dreamsand cloud and motioned for Jack to join him. Jack declined, but before he was able to muster the wind to escape he was whisked out of the tree and firmly plopped onto the cloud.

Jack lay back in the sand and sighed, then smiled at his friend. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Winter will still be here tomorrow."

Satisfied that his captive wasn't going anywhere, Sandy directed the sand raft up into the sky again. The mass of clouds above them parted slightly, and a bright moon peeked out at them. Jack gazed up at it as Sandy moved the dream cloud toward another city.

"North once told me that the moon is actually a giant spaceship that Manny lives in," the boy mused.

Sandy nodded. Jack gaped at him. "Seriously? I thought he was just pulling my leg!"

Sandman laughed silently and formed a picture in glowing sand: miniature Guardians going up to the moon with a short, happy-looking man. The tiny figures began kicking at the ground of the picture, sprays of dust and stones flying.

Jack squinted at the glowing sand figures. "So... you guys all went to the moon with Manny... and you spent the entire time kicking rocks?" To his surprise, Sandy nodded, looking pleased that his signs had been interpreted correctly. Jack laughed. "Really?"

The shape of a snowflake appeared in the glowing sand, followed by an ear and an open book. _You want to hear the story?_

Jack sat up. "Yeah!" He yawned widely, giving the appearance of a child trying not to fall asleep on Christmas Eve. Sandy chuckled silently and motioned for Jack to lay back. The winter spirit complied reluctantly. Beside him, the golden man made a sweeping gesture and the luminous sand flowed upward into the shape of a grandfather clock, the hands of which began to spin quickly backward, turning back the years. Jack watched in awe as the clock scattered, the sand reforming into a scene.

The story played out in sparkling gold in the air in front of them. Though short, it was highly entertaining and Jack couldn't help forgetting his fatigue as he was literally immersed in the silent tale. But, as is the case with most bedtime stories (especially those told by the Sandman), the boy was dead to the world by the time the final scene dissolved into mist.

Sandy smiled as a trail of Dreamsand found its way to the sleeping spirit and formed into figures of playing children. He turned back to his work and allowed his thoughts to wander.

In many ways, Sandman was the oldest and wisest of the Guardians. And he was by far the most observant. Since he didn't speak, he had a gift with detecting and interpreting body language and facial expressions, and he could usually tell exactly how people were feeling without them saying anything.

Usually.

Jack was different. He was incredibly complex, a subtly shifting center of emotion beneath his laid back exterior. He was genuinely carefree and happy by nature, but often a shadow would cross his face, giving a glimpse of scars underneath. In those moments, it was painfully apparent to Sandy that as much as they adored their youngest member, they honestly knew nothing about him.

When they had first officially met, Sandy had been surprised to see how little Jack actually knew about them and the unseen world he was a part of. There had even been things Jack hadn't known about himself, like his full power when fighting Pitch, or the fact that he had an entire life as a human before becoming a spirit.

The boy had to be around three hundred years old, right? So what had he been doing all that time? They didn't even know what he had been doing when he was with them. He had a habit of disappearing and then reappearing when they needed him most. Heck, they didn't even know where he lived.

It was worrying. But every time Sandy had gotten close to bringing it up, with either the other Guardians or Jack himself, the boy had seemed as mischievous, energetic and full of life as ever, scattering all suspicions as effectively as flicking on a light. And so Sandy pushed it out of his mind. After all, someone as stubborn and, well, Jack-like as the boy was certainly wouldn't enjoy them prying. In time Jack would get comfortable enough with them to explain on his own. In the meantime, Sandy vowed to do everything he could for the boy who had become so like family to him.

High above the winter clouds, a crisp white moon shone a little brighter.


	5. Belief and Miracles

**Surprise! A chapter! 'Member I said something interesting was coming? Yeah, here it is!**

* * *

Chapter 5

Belief and Miracles

Nicole Bennett pulled the blanket over her son and ran a hand affectionately through the boy's hair. He had fallen asleep at the window- again- as silent snowflakes fell to coat the ground.

She surveyed the childlike messiness of Jamie's room: toys, articles of clothing and stuffed animals strewn across the floor, crayons scattered across the desk and pictures tacked lopsidedly to the wall. She bent to pick a stuffed rabbit off the floor and a flash of white caught her eye. A piece of paper was nestled on the floor underneath Jamie's bed.

It was a crudely-drawn picture of Jamie building a snowman with a boy with snow white-hair and a blue hoodie. She shook her head good-naturedly. The blue boy had appeared often in Jamie's drawings since, what, Easter, was it? Jack Frost, Jamie called him. Nicole set the drawing carefully on the desk and walked to the door, taking one last look at her sleeping son.

Kids and their imagination, she thought before closing the door. She paid no mind to the floral frost that crept up the windowsill.

Adults are rather unobservant and Mrs. Bennett was no exception. She didn't notice, for example, that Jamie started leaving letters with each tooth he lost, or the sudden draft of cold that sometimes came from under Jamie's door when the boy was supposed to be sleeping, and she didn't notice that his snowballs seemed to be aimed at someone other than Sophie.

And if she did notice these things, she didn't believe them. Because she was a responsible adult and she didn't believe in magic.

But the convenient freak snowstorm on Jamie's birthday was a bit too good to be true… and she had seen the boy careening around on that sled too many times to count, and yet he never came home with so much as a scratch. But that was just luck. Frost was frozen water and snow nothing more than a weather pattern. And her son was most definitely not best friends with a 300-year-old mythical being.

Because that was crazy.

It was crazy... wasn't it?

* * *

_One month later_

It was late November and Christmas advertisement was in full force. Tinsel and lights decorated the buildings and stoplights while snippets of carols could be heard as people passed in and out of shops. Icy streets bustled with early evening activity, numerous window displays vying for the attention of their customers.

Jamie and Sophie Bennett had their noses pressed up against the glass of a shop window, fawning over a glistening Christmas tree set up inside the store. Mrs. Bennett raised her fingers to her mouth and blew on them, her breath clouding in the chilled air. She looked down at her children, smiling at their bright eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Jamie, Soph, are you ready to go?" she said, pulling at her scarf. The kids looked back at her, hands still pressed against the window.

"Tree! Tree!" Sophie said, her untidy hair disregarding the laws of gravity as she bounced up and down in excitement. Jamie took his sister's hand and stepped toward their mother.

"Can we look around some more? Caleb and Claude told me about this new game their cousin got and it sounds super cool! Can we stay out, Mom, please, please, please?"

Mrs. Bennett pulled her son's hat down over his ears and pulled up the zipper of his coat in the way that mothers do. "Alright, honey, we can look in a few more stores, but it'll get dark soon and I've got to make us dinner."

Her children, who had clearly tuned out the second half of the sentence, whooped and scampered off to the next shop. Nicole smiled as Sophie pointed out a gray stuffed rabbit, taking up her chant of , "Easter Bunny, hop, hop, hop!" and Jamie became entranced with a shiny new sled. She took a mental note of the store in case she needed to come back later.

"There! There!" cried Sophie, pointing a mittened hand at a store across the street. "Go there!"

"Alright," Mrs. Bennett said, "but this is the last one for today. After this we're going home."

The kids were, of course, disappointed, but the feeling was quickly squashed by the overwhelming aura of Christmas that seemed to be emanating from everything. She couldn't imagine how the two weren't freezing from being out in the cold this long, but that was kids for you. Their boundless energy must keep them warm, she thought.

The trio joined the group of people waiting at the intersection crosswalk. Nicole pulled her coat tighter around herself and bounced in the cold, watching the blinking red hand that told them to wait. The stoplight turned red, the hand disappeared, and the cluster of pedestrians prepared to step onto the street.

At this point, several things happened at once. Sophie, in her excitement, slipped her hand out of her mother's grasp and dashed across the street. Before she could react, Jamie ran out after his sister. The traffic, which was always hectic around the holidays, hadn't had time to slow down properly and a car slammed on its breaks, slid on a sheet of ice and plowed into the intersection.

Right over her son.

"JAMIE!" she screamed. This couldn't be happening, this wasn't happening- it wasn't, it wasn't possible, it wasn't fair…. She pushed her way out of the crowd, getting a clear view of the street. She had to know, had to see….

The street was empty. Standing on the far sidewalk was Sophie, who was unsure of the pandemonium going on around her, and in front of her was...

Nicole didn't realize she was running until she was halfway across the street, cars blaring their horns at her, but she didn't care. All that mattered was getting to her baby. She was in hysterics when she reached the sidewalk, but she could see now that it was true. Jamie was somehow unharmed, kneeling on the cement a dozen feet from where he had been mere seconds before. She joined him on the ground, kissing his head and gripping his shaking shoulders as if to make sure he truly was there.

White snowflakes drifted down from the sky as police sirens started in the distance. Her son's jacket was stiff and cold beneath her fingers, and Nicole looked down to see it was covered in a layer of intricate ice. Frost. Like the boy who rode on the wind and brought the increasingly-frequent snow days. The boy Jamie called his... guardian.

Mrs. Bennett let go of her son's jacket and for the first time saw what was really there. A boy with pale skin and snow-white hair had his arms wrapped tightly around Jamie, pressing the boy's face into his shoulder. A wooden shepherd's staff lay discarded on the ground. She stared at him with wide, watery eyes, then threw her arms around them both.

"Thank you," she whispered. As Sophie came over to join the hug, Nicole started sobbing.

It was snowing heavily outside the kitchen window of the Bennett house. The sky was quickly darkening, casting blue shadows on the fresh banks of snow. Mrs. Bennett turned her gaze from the window to stare at the boy sitting on her kitchen counter. He had the wooden staff laying across his lap and was nervously tapping his fingers on the wood, causing tiny bursts of magic frost. He looked out at the accumulating snow and winced slightly.

"Sorry about that…" he said. "It happens sometimes when I get worked up. It's sort of my way of working out my nerves."

"You saved my son," Mrs. Bennett said. "I wouldn't care if it snowed ten feet."

Jack nodded, fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie. He rubbed his head bashfully. "Sorry if I'm a little… I mean, I've never been seen by an adult before."

Mrs. Bennett nodded pensively, having no idea what that meant. The house was quiet. Nobody had felt much like eating, so Jamie and Sophie had gone to bed, leaving them alone in the kitchen. Mrs. Bennett opened the refrigerator and withdrew a jug of milk, pouring two glasses and handing one to Jack. She leaned against the stove opposite him. "Mind if I ask you some things?"

Jack uncrossed his legs and dangled them over the edge of the counter. "Shoot away."

Mrs. Bennett pushed up her glasses and fixed Jack with an unwavering look. "What's a guardian?"

Jack ran a hand through his snowy hair. "That's a good question, and there isn't really a simple answer. So I guess I'll just start somewhat from the beginning and tell you as much as I can." He carefully set his glass on the counter and began to speak.

"I guess it kind of starts with the bogeyman, Pitch Black, the living embodiment of fear. A long, long time ago, he waged war on the entire world, seeking to feed off of the fear and dreams of children and encompass the universe in fear and misery. So the Man in the Moon created the Guardians of Childhood. We protect the children and keep evil spirits like Pitch from hurting them. There were four: Santa Claus, Guardian of Wonder; the Easter Bunny, Guardian of Hope; the Tooth Fairy, Guardian of Memories; and the Sandman, Guardian of Dreams. Or, as Jamie and I know them, North, Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy."

"But, aren't you a guardian, too?"

"Getting to that. Something you should know about spirits is that you can only see, hear and touch them if you believe they exist. That's why you only saw me today, even though I've been around the whole time. But anyway, that's beside the point. Pretty much the Guardians all saved the world together and everything was all fine and dandy from then on."

"So then what happened? Where were you?"

Jack wagged a finger. "Ah, the interesting part. Well, many hundred years later, I came along, and a few hundred years after that, Pitch came back."

"He… came back?"

"Yeah. He swore revenge on the Guardians for forcing him to live powerless and invisible for all those centuries and decided to take over the world again. So the Man in the Moon called me." Jack's face took on a thoughtful expression. "It… it was very confusing in the beginning. I had a lot of questions and didn't fully know who I could trust, if I could even trust myself; the Guardians are horrible at explaining things. And it's not easy being a Guardian of Childhood when you basically don't exist."

Jack cleared his throat awkwardly. "But anyway, things pretty much hit rock bottom to the point that there was only one kid left in the world who believed in the Guardians. And that, as you may have guessed, was Jamie. He saw me, got the other kids to believe again and pretty much saved all our butts, guaranteeing himself a lifelong place on the nice list." He rubbed his head. "The end."

There was a heavy silence. "Wow." Mrs. Bennett said. "That's… quite the story."

"It's the abridged version. I mean, you could fill at least four novels and a movie with the full account." Jack picked up the glass of milk and rolled it between his hands, sipping it occasionally.

"So what do you do now?" Mrs. Bennett asked.

Jack brightened. "Now I'm the official Guardian of Fun, in addition to being the spirit of winter, bringer of snowdays, master of snowball fights, and sledding king. I also invented barefoot ice skating. Didn't really catch on, though."

Though she was shaken and exhausted, Mrs. Bennett couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. "Congratulations. It suits you."

"Thanks," Jack said. "If there's anything else you want to know, I'm sure Jamie would love to fill you in."

Mrs. Bennett nodded and set her now-empty glass in the sink. "He sure thinks the world of you," she said.

Jack grinned affectionately. "Well I am pretty cool. But that kid of yours is something special."

Mrs. Bennett gazed up at the ceiling as if she could see through it to her son's bedroom. "He certainly is."

Jack stared at her. There had to be a million thoughts going through her head- it wasn't every day that your son almost dies, let alone learning that the fairy tales you believed in when you were a kid actually exist. He realized that it probably wasn't a great idea to have explained everything all in one go, especially with the day having been as traumatic as it was. He mentally smacked himself.

Mrs. Bennett pulled her eyes from the ceiling and gave him an apologetic look. "He kept telling me you were real. But I just… I mean I never thought that…." She remembered all the times she had told her kids that Jack Frost was just an expression and not to take it seriously. She winced. "That must've sucked."

"Don't worry about it, you didn't know any better. It wasn't the first time and it won't be the last." Jack picked up his staff and slid off the counter, his bare feet landing lightly on the cold tile floor. He shifted in place and said as politely as he could, "I should probably go."

Mrs. Bennett reached over and put a hand on his arm. "You don't need to. It's okay. After everything you've done for us-"

Jack shook his head kindly. "It's been a long day. You should try to get some rest. You'll feel better in the morning."

She gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, I think I'm still kind of in shock."

"I think you could've taken it a lot worse. Thanks for not freaking out at me. Anyway, I'll just, uh…." Jack cleared his throat. "Yeah." He walked to the door (he didn't feel this was the time or place to be climbing out a window), but as he reached it, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned and Mrs. Bennett pulled him into a hug. Jack patted her back awkwardly; close physical contact still felt alien to him after so long without it, and he didn't know how to react to affection from a near-total stranger.

"Thank you," she said, pulling away. "For everything."

Jack smiled. "I'm a Guardian. It's what I do." He stepped outside and the wind swept him up into the snowy sky.

Watching him go, Mrs. Bennett called out, "Next time I'll expect you for dinner!"

* * *

**So what do you think? No, I didn't kill Jamie. And by the way, Nicole wasn't kidding. She really is going to kidnap him and make him stay for dinner. And any time he comes near mealtime she practically tries to shove food down his throat and sends him off with sandwiches every other time. She pretty much forcibly adopts him as her second son, especially during the holidays, so it's gonna be interesting. ;) I hope you liked it, please R&R!**


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